Your Offering to Sai Baba By Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji

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Your Offering to Sai Baba

By Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji

You would think that you can give back nothing to Baba, who is a Supreme

Giver, only Baba can give to his devotees. But this is not wholly

correct. The action of giving cannot be unilateral. Even God receives

first, then gifts. In the day to day practical life, there is no giving

without taking. It is therefore that the word " give and take policy " has

come into vogue.

 

If Baba asked for nothing, why could he have asked for Dakshina'? Why he

would move from door to door in hot sun in Shirdi to beg for alms. It is

true that Baba was never yearning for Dakshina or alms. He was simply

searching the hearts of the devotees in this process. He was teaching us

to part with or sacrifice a bit of our earning for a higher way of life.

 

Baba used to cater to the prayers or demands of his devotees. He would

tender his hand of help through some strange miracles to salvage his

devotees in distress or difficulties. This was also not without

expectations from them. He responded to devotees' wishes so that the

devotees should turn to his way of teachings and do what he liked them

to do. But all of us forget this truth and go on asking for new farther

from Baba every time, without taking note of Baba's demand from us. When

Baba fulfils our wishes we are thrilled, we are choked with emotions of

gratitude and we shed tears of joy.

 

We call Baba as the Kalpa tree. We say that He is our Guru, God. We

proclaim that we are his devotees. But really speaking, we do not

deserve to be his devotees or disciples. We are only searching for a

link to spread a hand of begging before him again and again without

remembering his real message and teachings to us. We forget what Baba

wants us to do, nay we purposefully ignore it! We place a new demand at

his feet. We are angry, if he does not fulfill.

 

The message of Baba's life: - All know that Baba meets devotees'

demands. It is for this that people from all religions, sects, leads,

castes throng round his samadhi. They come to fulfill their vows. They

want to exchange the grace with offerings. They are blind to Baba's

Upadesha. He does not want us to place demand after demand to him. He

wants us to realize his message. He wants us to spread this message

among others. He wants us to act and practice his teachings. He

recognizes the bhakti manifest in practicing his tenets and teachings.

 

Shraddha (Faith) and Saburi (Patience): - We are familiar with these

phrases without brooding over their meaning and aerial application to

life. The unflinching allegiance to God and self sacrifice is denoted by

Shraddha. It is not easy to practice this. Because we have to change the

centre of gravity of our life, we must replace selfish thinking by God

orientation, offering everything to his wishes. Saburi teaches us to be

fixed in difficulties and onslaught of fate. We shake, waver each

moment. How can we be devotees without practicing these tenets; Baba

wants us to translate this into action in day to day life.

 

Baba's Karma, Bhakti and Dhyana: Baba wants us to leave our narrow

thoughts, selfish nature and obstinate ways and to take up a new life of

service and sacrifice. He wants us to come out of the circle of

selfishness and " I " attachment to personal benefits and live a life of

benevolence and selfless service. This is Baba's Karma yoga. He wants us

to offer each of our karma as a flower to God as offering. This is his

Bhakthi yoga. That God is present everywhere is his Dhyana yoga. We have

to offer all our thoughts, desires, passions and acts to God are the

expression of this Dhyana yoga.

 

Baba's ultimate demand: Baba wants us to practice Nama and Dhyana. He

wants us to take his name, forgetting all else (i.e. body

consciousness). He wants us to meditate on his form. This should be

perpetual, unending. We have to merge our mind, intellect, body and ego

in his consciousness. This is his ultimate demand. Do not look at these

words with levity. Know the gravity of the meaning and actual practice.

When Baba begged from door to door in Shirdi for a loaf of bread, he did

not actually want food from us. He wanted the offering of our whole

existence.

(Source Sri Sai padananda Jan 2003)